Alex and Freddy are just your everyday robotic children – mischievous, innocent and quite clearly metallic. At a glance they could be your typical bots (sorry boys) next door but their extraordinary powers make normality a superhuman stretch of the imagination. The fantastical is subtly balanced with the everyday as humorously highlighted by the gentle … Continue reading “Mega Robo Bros by Neill Cameron”
Category: Book Review
Book review section
The Wacky Man by Lyn G Farrell
The Wacky Man isn’t mad he’s bad so don’t be fooled by this faintly cartoonish title as there is nothing slapstick about a story which highlights the shattering of family normality by an abusive father whose emotional meltdown has a life changing impact on those closest to him. Irish nationalism and English xenophobia are the … Continue reading “The Wacky Man by Lyn G Farrell”
Sleeping Dogs by Thomas Mogford
Spike Sanguinetti’s name suggests a prickly optimist yet with the swagger of a handsome athlete his real character somehow transcends this superficial clash of appearance and personality. This disconnect in personal characteristics complements the plot’s diverse settings in which the soporific idyll of Corfu, synonymous with the inoffensive olive, locks horns with the apparently lawless … Continue reading “Sleeping Dogs by Thomas Mogford”
Armadillos by PK Lynch
Armadillos are the ubiquitous roadkill littering the endless highways of the American prairies and in 15 year old Aggie we have a human reflection of this seemingly dispensable and inconsequential mammal. She is the daughter of an abusive father living in a “sub family” where any semblances of sexual and social normality have disappeared and … Continue reading “Armadillos by PK Lynch”
The Planner by Tom Campbell
Town planning and local government are synonymous with bureaucratic negativity but in the sepia tinted goals of these much derided institutions we uncover an unlikely antidote to the social media driven generation whose morals have become warped by the desire for quick fixes with little substance, unless they are stimulants of the narcotic variety. Wheatley … Continue reading “The Planner by Tom Campbell”
When We Were Alive by C J Fisher
Bobby Baker the Illusion Maker is a magician’s moniker more suited to a children’s birthday entertainer than a modern day Dynamo but it’s this lack of pretension that is a fitting metaphor for these semi-autobiographical stories tracing the lives of three generations and their battle to preserve the innocence of truly living from becoming a … Continue reading “When We Were Alive by C J Fisher”
Tamsin and the Deep by Neill Cameron and Kate Brown
Cornish mythology and vibrant colours give this story unexpected depth, both literally and visually, and while obviously a story appealing to the younger reader the contemporary language and subtle humour will strike a chord with all ages as brother and sister surfer dudes, Tamsin and Morgan, unwittingly release an underwater demon that takes them back … Continue reading “Tamsin and the Deep by Neill Cameron and Kate Brown”
The Artificial Anatomy of Parks by Kat Gordon
An enigmatic title potentially lending itself to an obscure dissertation on the declining importance of greenspaces in modern day leisure does in fact subtly convey the emotional dissection of the Parks family seen through the eyes of Tallie, the daughter of a seemingly happy couple whose unquestioning love is replaced by only unanswered questions following a … Continue reading “The Artificial Anatomy of Parks by Kat Gordon”
The Sword of Moses by Dominic Selwood
The race for the Ark of the Covenant may seem a well worn fictional path but the prospect of stifling a yawn is initially rendered highly unlikely by a lead character whose occasionally comic book escapades would surely lend themselves to a more memorable soubriquet if this this story were ever transferred to the silver … Continue reading “The Sword of Moses by Dominic Selwood”
Office Politics by Oliver James
James Bond is unlikely to swap his gun for a word processor yet if , like him, you are able to squeeze the most out of your working environment by being ruthlessly self serving then you should be able to push aside any latter day Goldfingers to reach the top of the office pile. Oliver … Continue reading “Office Politics by Oliver James”